Estevan's minor football teams have perpetually struggled with low registration numbers, putting them at a disadvantage against Regina teams with more players.
That problem was taken to a new level on Saturday when the peewee Chargers took the field in Regina with just 13 players.
That's unacceptable. There are 12 players on the field so at any given time, there was only one player not on the field, whether it was offence or defence. Everyone had to go both ways.
The Chargers apparently have more than 20 kids committed to the team, so I don't know what happened to the others. Sure, some are likely on vacation with their families, but I'm not sure how you have roughly 10 of your players not available for the season opener.
Football is a tough sport, especially for kids just starting out. It's important to have a large roster to keep everyone fresh.
When you only have 13 players on the field for a game, there are injuries. Kids get tired and make mistakes and get hurt. That only compounds the problem.
Estevan's teams haven't won very much the last few years, which is likely a big reason they've struggled to get kids out to play. But they can't win with 13 players. Losing 38-0 is kind of expected when you go into a game with that small of a team.
So it's a vicious cycle. Until they get more kids playing, the chances of winning will be slim.
Contact Josh Lewis at 306-634-2654 or sports@estevanmercury.ca, or tweet him at @joshlewis306. Gary Bettman earned some respect for accepting the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness for ALS.
